Have you ever been in love?
by dwilivia
Summary: [AU] She wasn't one who believed in love, and it took one cocky brat to show her what love truly was. That is, if they could survive trying to outsmart each other. RyoSaku
1. Twenty Questions and an Arguement

Have you ever been in love?

She watched silently from behind the fence of the tennis courts, in her hands, she clutched tightly a couple of books. It was a cold, February morning, and it was on mornings like these she loved to stay at the tennis courts watching a young boy practice with his seniors. But that was a long time ago, she thought. That was when she thought she was in love.

But she wasn't really. It was just a stupid crush, something she made such a big deal of in her early teens. Reality had shown her what love was. It was her parents, who, on their wedding day, promised they'd love each other forever, till death do them part. Yet years down the road, they'd gotten a divorce, because her father'd been having an affair. It was her previous few boyfriends, all of whom had told her that they were in love with her. In the end, she'd found them, arms around other girls.

Love was nothing. Zero. Just like what a certain boy had told her years and years ago. Love meant zero in a match. You could never win with a zero. She'd concluded, in the short twenty years of her life, that the same concept applied everywhere. Even in the game of love. You'd still be on the losing end no matter the effort you put in it.

Ryoma had taught her that.

He was on the tennis courts, still practicing as hard as ever. She stared at him for a while and decided that he hadn't changed a bit. High school had just been his probation period. Now, in university, he was cockier than ever.

He stopped playing when he caught sight of her lurking around the courts, and he slipped an apologetic look to his opponent. A quick sprint to the door of the court and he caught up with her.

"Sakuno"

"Hello, Ryoma."

He ran his eyes over her, studying her.

"What are you doing here?"

She stared at him like he was stupid. "We have a project due in three days."

"So?"

"We haven't started on it yet."

"Okay. So?"

"My apartment. Tonight. Seven." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, and don't be late."

"Your apartment? What's wrong with mine?"

"Because my garbage can is _way_ cleaner than your apartment..."

He rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Okay, as I was saying... Don't be late. Bring your books." She turned to go, but just had to be in hearing range of his voice.

"Sakuno... such a fierce girl..." A grim smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Whatever happened to the shy girl I knew eight years ago?"

"She grew up." She muttered. "And she doesn't like you very much."

With that, she left the courts, leaving behind a still smiling Ryoma.

"Oh, that'll certainly change..." He thought, going back to retrieve his racket and resume play.

* * *

At precisely two past seven, the doorbell to Sakuno's apartment rang. She opened it and felt rather disappointed that it wasn't Ryoma.

Instead, it was the landlord's son who kept trying to pick her up with cheesy lines from Hallmark cards. Seriously. It was freaking her out.

"Sakuno! Long time no see..."

"Kenshi? We saw each other this morning."

"Well... It seemed like forever since morning! You look really pretty tonight."

She glanced down at her oversized sweater and jeans and sighed. "Okay, Kenshi, what do you want?"

"How 'bout a date?"

"No."

"Two dates?"

"No."

"A cup of sugar?"

"No- sugar? For what?"

"Oh. My mother's baking and she ran out of sugar."

"Just like yesterday when she ran out of flour?"

"That was yesterday?" Kenshi scratched his head. "Oh. I guess so."

Sakuno sighed. "Kenshi, I'm really sorry, but you've got to stop disturbing me. It's getting annoying. I'll see you tomorrow okay? Goodnight."She slammed the door in his face.

She went to the fridge and took out some asprin. She figured she'd be prepared, since she predicted a huge migraine coming on.

And, of course, the bell chose that exact moment to ring. She stormed over to the door and opened it angrily.

"Kenshi, I thought I told you-"

"Woah. Did I come at a bad time?"

She looked up to see Ryoma in a plain shirt and loose jeans, carrying a few books in under his arm.

"Oh. It's only you. Come in."

The inside of her apartment was neat, much neater than his. He drew his attention to the huge bookshelf at the corner of the room and set down his books at the coffee table.

"Wow. You read a lot?"

"Yeah. It's a habit."

He picked up a novel which had been discarded at the end of the shelf and gazed thoughtfully at the cover.

"Hey... I didn't know you read romance novels..."

Sakuno's head jerked up. Oh shoot. She had forgotten to return that to Tomoka.

"I don't read them..." She said, slightly irritated. "Tomoka forced me to borrow it..."

"Oh."

Sakuno's eyebrow went up a notch. What? No sarcasm? Not even a tiny joke on the suggestiveness of the novel?

Maybe he had been smoking weed... or taking drugs... or-

"Sakuno? Can we start now?" A fairly annoyed voice cut her out of her thoughts, and she found herself staring back at Ryoma.

"Okay." She grabbed her book off the couch. "Let's get started."

* * *

Two hours later, they'd finished nearly half of their project and Ryoma was flat out bored. He shot a glance at the girl who sat across from him, and she still seemed to be hard at work, flipping through pages and taking down notes at the same time.

He studied her for a while and took in everything about her; her deep brown eyes which once held affection for him, her hair, falling just slightly below her shoulders, her lips, soft, inviting...

He caught himself just in time. No. It was just wrong of him to think of her in that way. He bit his lip slightly, in his mind, a battle raged wild. However sad it may have sounded, he just wanted to grab the stupid girl and kiss her. She was so distant from him, it showed in her eyes. How they alwaysclouded when they looked into his. It got him confused. And he wasn't one for confusion. He just wanted it flat out, right in front of him.

Damn. He got it bad.

"I'm gonna get a drink..." He said. She looked up at him and shrugged, following him into the kitchen. She grabbed two cokes and placed it on the counter.

"Sorry I don't have Ponta. I ran out." She said softly. She turned back to the living room, but she was just cursed that day.

"Sakuno?"

She turned to look at him.

"What?"

"I... um... I wanted to talk to you."

"Hm. Okay. What about?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"Okay..." She opened her can of coke and took a sip. "What about me?"

He paused thoughtfully. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

Well, that was certainly random.

"Yeah. I've had a boyfriend before." She stared at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Nothing. Just... curious..."

"Okay..." She sipped her coke again.

"Your turn."

"Huh?"

"Ask me a question."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh... okay. You have to answer truthfully though."

He nodded.

"Why did you come to an American University to study?"

He stared at her dumbly for a while. Of all the questions she could have asked, she asked him why he had come to this university. Man. She really needed to get out more often.

"Because I wanted to." He said, after some thought. "Happy?"

"Not really."

He ignored her last comment.

"Who gave you your best kiss?"

"Huh?"

"Your best kiss. As in, you know... when two-"

"I know what a kiss is..."

"So?"

"I'm not telling you. I don't want to play this stupid game anymore."

"C'mon... You HAVE been kissed before, right?"

"Of course I-"

"So... pick your best one..."

She snorted. "I didn't like any of them."

"Pity..." He said, gazing at her. "But you've never kissed me before... so, it figures..."

Sakuno couldn't believe his ego. "And what makes you think you're such a great kisser?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

She rolled her eyes at him and walked out of the kitchen.

"Oi, we're not done yet!"

"Well, I'm not playing the game anymore... it's over... we've got to finish this..."

"Of course we do..."

"I meant the project!"

"Right... or we could do something else..."

"_Ryoma_..."

"What?"

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Being annoying."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not"

"You are."

"Not."

"Shut up."

"You started it."

"URGH! I hate you!"

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No you don't."

"Trust me, I hate you."

"No, you're hopelessly in love with me."

She glared at him and threw a cusion at his head. It missed.

"You missed."

"Thank you for noticing."

"You're welcome."

A long, awkward silence passed, before he asked another question.

"Sakuno?"

"Mmm?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Mmm... Wha? Huh?"

He chuckled. "You said you didn't like all the other kisses you've been given... I thought I'd show you what a proper kiss is like."

"You're crazy."

"So are you."

"Shut up."

"Ladies first."

She ignored him and went back to taking down notes.

* * *

A/N: Wow. Talk about random. See, I wanted to do a Valentines Day special but it turned out to be a weird start of something. I don't know. Should I continue? Is Ryoma too OOC? I know that Sakuno is, but hey, the girl's been through a lot. Give her some credit.

Oh, and RR please. Flame if you must. I don't care.

Written for Evee, Charcoal and Kao. Happy V-day.

-dwi-


	2. The Hair Tie Stealer

Chapter 2

"Ryoma?"

"Mmm?"

"It's almost eleven..."

His eyes flickered to the clock which sat on top of her shelf and flickered back onto her.

She offered him his books. "You wanna go home?"

He shrugged and grabbed his books from her, heading toward the door.

* * *

Somehow, she had managed to steer clear from him the next day. It was rather easy actually. She rarely had any classes with him, and those were held only on Wednesdays and Fridays.

It was Thursday, which gave them only tonight to finish working on their project. She groaned inwardly, and pushed aside the temptation of just doing the god damn project all by herself.

No. She wasn't just going to let him get a grade for nothing. If he wanted that passing grade in Economics, he would have to earn it himself.

She had told him to show up at her house after school earlier on that day. Now, the only thing she had to worry about was whether he would turn up or not. For some reason, she was rather glad when she found him standing at her doorstep, carrying a few books she'd asked him to bring along.

After all, it was definitely much better than having that annoying prick of a neighbour trying to ask her out all the time. Not like she was actually doing any comparison or anything...

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Hello."

She let him pass in and closed the door softly. She bunched her hair (it was shorter now) up in a messy ponytail and fumbled through her stack of books on her table, pulling out a thick one and sat down on the sofa opposite him. She opened her book to a page full of hi-lights and sticky notes and took the paper she had stashed there earlier.

"Here." She said, handing him the paper, "My notes."

He nodded slightly and read the paper silently. After a while, he gave her back the script.

"You misspelled 'economization'. It's spelt with a 'z', not an 's'."

"Well, according to the British, it's spelt with an 's'."

"We're in America, you know."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

And that was that. End of discussion.

Twenty minutes into their silent note-taking, Sakuno found herself distracted by an annoying strand of hair that fell out from her ponytail. It fell over her eyes in a messy lock, and as trivial as it seemed, it bugged her. She pulled out her hair tie and re-tied her hair, this time a little higher. And again, the stubborn strand refused to be held back. It dangled there, taunting her. In frustration, she re-did her hair, a sigh escaping her lips noisly.

Ryoma noticed her fumbling with her hair (it was kind of hard not to) and shook his head.

"Quit it." He grumbled.

"Shut up."

More tying of hair ensued. After a few minutes, Ryoma felt he couldn't take it anymore. He leaned over and grabbed her hair tie and shoved it in his jeans pocket. Sakuno glared at him.

"Give it."

"No."

"GIVE it."

He shook his head.

"I hate you."

He cocked his head to the side. "Now, doesn't that sound familiar?"

She stared at him incredulously. "You're impossible."

He smirked. "I know."

Silence followed. And from that, he easily deciphered that he had won round two.

* * *

"You want a drink?"

Eh?

He looked up and nodded slightly.

"Is hot chocolate okay?"

He nodded again.

She rose to leave the room, heading toward the kitchen.

She switched on the lights, feeling the cool tiles of the kitchen floor surge through the pads of her feet. She sat atop the high chair she kept near the and rested her head on the table in the middle of the room. Thoughts swarmed in and out of her mind as she tried to keep between the wavering line of her conscious and subconscious.

She was dizzy, but she didn't know why. Maybe she was tired or sick-

The soft sound of footsteps alerted her and she wondered deliriously why Ryoma was looking for her. Had she been gone long? Was he still waiting for his drink?

"Sakuno? Can I talk to you?"

She didn't bother to answer. Maybe, she thought, if she remained still for a few more moments, he would just leave.

But he wasn't.

"You've been avoiding me."

"I haven't." She deadpanned. If only her head wasn't aching so bad-

"Yes you have." He shoved his hands into his pocket. "It's because of what I said yesterday right?"

Yesterday? Yesterday... what did he say yesterday?

"No."

"Then?"

He was expecting an answer. An answer she didn't know.

She avoided him everyday, and today was no different. Why was he asking her such a stupid question?

"Are you afraid, Sakuno?"

Afraid? Of what?

"No."

Her bland answers were infuriating him. She knew it. But her head was spinning so wildly, painfully, she felt that she couldn't think properly...

And suddenly, she was whipped from reality and dragged into a state of unconsciousness, her limp body now slipping into total shut down. She almost fell back from her chair, had it not been for Ryoma standing behind her.

She had passed out...

That much she could figure out.

* * *

A/N: Wow. I know. I updated. Sorry about the weird ending, I just went along impulse to make Sakuno die... or faint... haha... No, no. Actually, I have it all planned out already. I just... don't want you to guess it. Muahaha.

Okay, whatever.

I know, both of them seem weird toward the ending, but heck, I'm horrible. Just, review, okay? Flame if you must, I don't care.

Throw me suggestions okay?

And thank you all in advance, my lovely reviewers.

dwilivia


	3. The Unexpected Meeting

Chapter 3

_Sakuno's POV_

_It was suddenly very dark. I was falling from a great height. Out of pure instinct, I reached out to grab at something, anything, to break my fall, but all attempt failed. There was nothing. I bit my lip hard and shut my eyes, wondering vaguely where I was. _

_I wasn't dead, was I?_

_All of a sudden, I felt dread knot in my stomach. I didn't know where I was, or why I was even falling for that matter. It... sort of scared me for some reason. Maybe I was just paranoid or something. I didn't know. _

_It was kind of like the time when I got lost in a shopping mall. I was crying for my mother while strangers stared at me, until finally, a nice security guard sent me to the information counter. Only, this was far worse. There were no strangers (or any people) to wonder why the heck I was there, nor were there any nice security guards to help me find my way home. Internally, I was crying for the only person I could think of. _

_Ryoma. _

_Ironic much? We were just quarreling about five minutes ago. _

_I landed hard on the cold ground and lay there for a while, waiting for the pain of the impact to surge through my body, but it never came. Puzzled, I sat up and hugged myself in the freezing darkness. I shivered slightly, until I heard a voice resound through what seemed like endless hallways. _

_And suddenly- I found myself following the strange voice. _

_In the hollow darkness of these confines, I was scared and utterly convinced that I was going to die. I drew in a quivering breath, and plunged deeper into the murky darkness that had surrounded me...

* * *

_

_Normal POV_

_"She's gone unconscious again, doctor... "_

_"Get me some water, hurry."_

_"Her heart rate's gone down doctor... blood pressure's increasingly high-"_

_"Tell Stan to hurry with those stabilizers. I think she's falling into an Epilepsy."_

_"Damnit, where are those stabiliz- OUCH! Shit, get out of here, KID!"_

Ryoma was shoved out of the opperating room in an instant. Landing rather ungracefully on his butt in front of a kid and his mother was not his idea of a perfect exit. And that other kid who had burst out laughing due to his (rather unfortunate) inbalance with gravity was not helping much either. He summoned up whatever dignity he had left and walked off to the receptionist, resisting all urges to rub his extremely sore bum.

"Excuse me, Miss-"

"It's Mrs."

"Huh?"

"Mrs. I am married."

"Oh." He scratched his neck. "Um, yeah. Do you know what time the doctors are going to be done with her?"

She stared blankly at him.

"The girl who just went in..." He went on, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Well, you're just gonna have to wait and see, won't you?"

She turned around in her chair and picked up a call then, and Ryoma had no choice but to go back to the chairs he had seen earlier and wait for Sakuno. He sat down on the dusty blue chairs, trying to ignore the kid who was still laughing at him.

* * *

Ryoma stared blankly at the wall opposite him. There was a notice board there, full of schedules and a list of patients' names.

He shivered and pulled his thin jacket around him tighter. He didn't like hospitals. The air was too cold, the food was horrible, and the doctors took far too long in the operation rooms.

He grunted in annoyance and stared at the wall opposite him. It was grey.

He suddenly wished he had a tennis racket and a ball. Hitting tennis balls against the wall was certainly a better way to pass time. But of course, it wasn't allowed. Not in that horrible hospital that he was currently in now.

And that stupid receptionist kept glaring at him. If he decided to stand up- she glared. If he went to the vending machine- she glared. If he went to take a look at those stupid paper booklets on cancer- she glared.

He really wished that he had a tennis racket and a ball. Maybe he could wipe that glare off her face with his Twist Serve.

Hn. That'll show her.

A sudden burst through the hospital doors made him jump.

"We need to get this girl some oxygen... She's stopped breathing again."

Ryoma looked up sharply from the chairs that aligned the hospital wall and caught a glimpse of nurses and doctors frantically rushing by, wheeling by a young woman lying limp in a hospital bed. Behind them, a little girl had been following closely. She had dropped to her knees when they'd disappeared around the corner, exhausted and panting heavily.

He stared at her curiously. She was about six, if not younger and seemed to be of Asian parents despite her deep blue eyes and reddish brown curls which reached the base of her neck. He studied her forlorn figure and half wondered where her parents were.

He got his answer shortly after.

"Echizen?"

He twitched at the familiar voice and looked up. Red curls, dark blue eyes... there was no doubt about it.

He had bumped into his former senpai- Eiji.

* * *

A/N: Whoo. Relax you guys... I'm not dead yet. Crappy chapter yeah? I know. And also about that random meeting of him and Eiji, it will all be explained in the next chapter (I hope). Yup. And OOCness is very present in this chapter... sorry about that. Just be glad I updated.

Thanks to my darlings (from both chapters): _**Chiharu-Chan, KaguyaEvenstar, voicelord, undying-melodies, papayalove, angelhaze, Pure Essence, Milady Goddess, zazabeans, grdiang3l, devilish angel 4eva, Kurama-san444 and silvya!**_

_**GoogleGirl**_- In reference to your first review, I used the "no i don't" "yes you do" over and over again because it had a different effect on the reader than if I just described the whole arguement. Yeah? Haha. Thanks for the suggestion!

_**jun-chan**_- I was in tears when I read your review. Is my grammar that terrible? Please tell me why! haha.

_**clarify**_- Yes, I do update. Haha. Sorry for the LONG wait.

_**umi**_- Thanks for your review. I'm so flattered that you love my story so much. Oh yeah, and Ryoma blasting Kenshi? Haha. I wouldn't count on it.

_**Kim**_: I hope you're happy. I made you brownies!

_**Evee**_: You! Haha. You're the greatest ever. Thanks for reviewing. To celebrate, let's PON training tmr! Yeah! .

Oh yeah, on a final note-

PLEASE, PLEASE SEND IN SUGGESTIONS! Flames are accepted, but reviews are the best! )

_-dwilivia-san_


	4. Learning to Treasure

Chapter 4

Ryoma didn't know what to say. He was never really good at talking to people who had disappeared from his life all so suddenly and come back again, expecting him to be all welcoming and stuff.

Eiji had done that- just plain left them in the middle of his third year and went off to America. No one knew he was leaving, no one. Not even Oishi.

Which was precisely why everyone was shocked when Ryuuzaki sensei told them the news.

_-flashback-_

_"...Eiji's gone to America."_

_Momoshiro was stunned. And Oishi had that look._

_Not just any look. It was a cross between worry and beweilderment, and where his forehead would crease and he would unconsciously dig his teeth into his bottom lip until they bled._

_Tezuka maintained his stoic look. The regulars didn't know what to think._

_Ryoma was annoyed. No, he was more than annoyed. Eiji-senpai had just left them. No goodbye, no warning..._

_And he was supposed to deal with that? _

_He slammed a tennis ball into the wired green fence of the tennis court. It'd made a huge dent, and he was probably gonna get scolded for that. That green fence had just been replaced about a week ago._

_Ryoma didn't care. He was wondering about other things... like how practice was going to continue, how they'd never make it to the nationals without Eiji..._

_And he wondered if he was ever going to see Eiji again..._

_But then, it'd started to rain._

_-end flashback-_

Ryoma watched as Eiji picked up the little girl and carried her in his arms. He took a seat next to Ryoma, rocking the little girl back and forth in his embrace. She had fallen asleep and her heavy panting had slowed down to a soft mummur. She looked so fragile, Ryoma thought. He was slightly afraid to touch her for fear she might just crumble to pieces.

"Sachi... that's her name..."

"Oh."

Ryoma was curious.

"She yours?"

Eiji let out a small chuckle. "Course she's mine. She looks like me, doesn't she?" He paused to ruffle a few strands of hair from her face. "She's almost five now, if I'm not wrong."

Five years old. That got Ryoma thinking. Twenty-three minus five...

Eighteen. That's how old Eiji was when he became a father.

"I know what you're thinking, Echizen. Eiji, a father at eighteen?" Eiji went on. "It... it just sort of happened, you know? I never thought that she'd-"

He stopped then and closed his eyes ruefully. Ryoma felt awfully uncomfortable. He wasn't ever good at discussing things like this. He took a good look at Eiji for a few seconds, sizing him up. He looked... old, Ryoma thought. He tried to think of other words... but his vocabulary seemed to disappear when he tried to describe Eiji. But there was really no other word for him. He'd grown old.

Ryoma wondered what happened to those bright, blue eyes of his. They seemed to have lost their shine years ago, dulling to a pale, watery blue. Ryoma frowned. Life was so unpredictible. He'd remembered the conversation he, Momo, and Eiji had in a burger place years ago. They'd been talking about their future. Momo said he'd wanted to become a pilot, and Eiji said he'd wanted to become a vet.

Ryoma recalled that incident with much fondness. Never in that short twenty minutes of his life would he expect Eiji to turn out like that- looking ten years older than he should and having the burden of raising a child. In fact, he was almost sure Eiji hadn't finished college yet.

What would his future be like? Ryoma wasn't sure. Would he get married? Kids? Would he even finish college with that diploma he'd wanted so badly?

Ryoma bit his lip. He didn't like to be unsure of things.

"What are you thinking about, Echizen?"

He looked up at Eiji's kind, yet unsmiling eyes and for some reason, he was comforted. "I was thinking about myfuture." He muttered. He glanced down at his hands and realised they were shaking slightly.

Eiji brushed away the curls out of his daughter's closed eyes and chuckled. "You've got a bright future ahead of you, Ryoma. You shouldn't have to worry."

"Life is so unpredictible..." Ryoma wondered aloud and Eiji nodded quietly.

"Life may be unpredictible and unfair, but you know something? Life is a funny thing... It gives us surprises out of the most unexpected things."

"Like Sacchi?"

Eiji closed his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, like Sacchi. When I heard that I was a father... I thought my world was gone. I wanted to run away, but it wasn't the right thing to do. I thought of my sisters, and what I'd want their boyfriends to do if they ever did get pregnant, and I realised that there was no escaping this. So I married her. But it was worth it, though."

"Did you... did you love her?"

"I cared for her, Echizen. I cared a whole lot about her. I don't think I've learnt to love her yet, but I'm hoping someday I will." He shifted his position and cleared his throat. "The point is, Echizen, that you should never let go the things which are important to you. Treasure everything. I've learnt not to take things for granted, and maybe someday, you will too."

Ryoma looked thoughtful. _Treasure everything?_

He thought about Sakuno, about how he'd made her hurt when they were younger, the way he'd always brush her off because he didn't like her. And he thought about how he'd felt when she collasped on him that night- panic, anger. Fear.

He'd been afraid of losing her, been afraid of not being able to tell her how he felt about her. It was those thirty seconds of his life that made him realise something- that he was in love with her.

It didn't come as a shock to him, but rather, a strange warmness in his chest. He wasn't sure if he like it, but he sure willing to take the chance.

_Treasure everything._

He thought about the way she would blush when he was near, the way her hair was always too long, the way her tennis always sucked.

And he thought about her for a moment, and everything seemed to stop.

He loved her, and that was that. But maybe it wasn't all, he mused. He wanted to tell her.

He would tell her everything, everything she wanted to know, everything his heart desired for her to know.

Footsteps interrupted his train of thought and he looked up at the doctor. He jumped to his feet.

"Doctor, how is she?"

The doctor smiled, "She just fainted from a little too much pressure, nothing to worry about though. She's up already... you can go in and see your wife."

_My... wife?_

He was about to correct the doctor, but he was too busy thinking about how that would sound. Sakuno, his wife?

He walked into the hospital room with his hands shoved into his pockets. And when she turned to look at him, his mouth suddenly went dry. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? He smiled weakly at her and managed a lame, "Hi."

She smiled. "Hey."

He sat down on a chair next to her bed and felt his heart skip a beat. So, this was what it was like to fall in love, he thought to himself.

He still didn't know what to say, and his palms were starting to water. And when he stared into her eyes, he could feel his skin heat up. It was then he froze on the spot, and his mouth seemed to be incapable of forming words. Or at least, comprehendable words.

His mind was a total blur- words were spinning around but none made sense to him. He wanted to say something, anything to her... but he couldn't. Now he truly understood the meaning of being at a loss for words- this.

His fingers trembled, for what, he wasn't sure, but he was sure that he was going to go balistic if he didn't do something.

Sakuno's brown eyes darted across his face worriedly. "Ryoma... are you... okay?"

He nodded, still unable to open his mouth.

She smiled at him lightly. "Oh, good. Anyway, thanks for bringing me here and waiting. I'm sorry I wasted your time and-"

"Don't."

She looked at him, bewildered. "Huh?"

He looked at her silently. "Don't say that."

She was still unsure of what he meant. "Why?"

He avoided her eyes. "Nothing."

She was angered by this simple statement, but she didn't know why. "Ryoma, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you always have to be like this? I don't know what I ever did to aggravate you, but whatever it is, you are so unfair."

"Let's go home."

"No. I am not going anywhere unless you tell me why you're so annoyed with me all the time." She said firmly, arms crossed over her chest.

He raised an eyebrow and accepted the challenge. Within minutes, he had her sprawled over his left shoulder, screaming and kicking him. He carried her out of the hospital and to his car. There he'd put her down, ignoring strange stares from the people in the car park.

She landed rather ungracefully on her bottom in the back seat as soon as he'd let go of her struggling form. Indignant, she was about to let him have a peice of her mind when she left his lips touch hers softly, passionately, that any thoughts she had earlier vanished to the very back of her mind.

"I think I've finally found a way to shut you up..." Ryoma muttered, his eyes alit with mischief.

Sakuno punched him in the arm. "You're an idiot. I'm getting out of this car."

She shoved him out and got out herself, walking back toward the hospital. She didn't get too far, because Ryoma had grabbed her and pinned her against his car.

"You're not going anywhere, lady."

"Oh?" She asked in amusement. "Who's gonna stop me?"

He leaned in, his lips hovering over hers as he uttered, "I am." His hot breath warmed her face and neck and she found herself shaking slightly.

"Ryoma... we can't..." She started to push him away, but he still kept her against the car.

"Why not, Sakuno?"

He was so close, so painfully close. "I... I have a boyfriend, Ryoma."

A slight shift in his warm, gold eyes told her that he didn't believe it.

"What's his name?"

She couldn't think, her brain was malfunctioning. God, he was making her uncomfortable. After a moment of silence, she realised he'd be waiting for an answer. She racked her brain for something, anything, and she said the first name that came to her mind. "Kenshi."

Ryoma was startled, but he didn't let it show. "Kenshi's a lucky guy." He muttered. Suddenly, he wondered. "Do you love him?"

Sakuno nodded almost too quickly. "Of course."

"How are you so sure?"

Trick question, she thought. "Because I get this warm feeling when I'm around him... and it's all there- the sweaty palms, racing heart."

She prayed silently that he would believe her and just let her go, and maybe they could just finish up their project. But still, he persisted. "How do I make you feel?"

He was still so awfully close, she thought. She could feel his breath on her neck, soft and oddly sensual. Ever so slowly she watched him lean down onto her and she felt the butterflies in her stomach leap and twirl. This is so unreal, she said to herself, this is so unreal.

Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, and she was surprised he couldn't feel it. And all she could do was stare mindlessly at him as he continued to edge himself closer to her.

She wanted this, every part of this moment. And as he closed the gap between them, sealing his lips against her own, she felt a flame inside her reignite. And then she knew that she'd been wrong. Oh, so wrong about everything. About love. But now she knew.

She'd never said I love you to anyone before, but she was saying it now. She felt so helpless in his arms, yet so strong at the same time. He made her feel things she never thought possible, and for a few moments, doubt hung heavy in the air.

Did he love her? What about college? What if... what if... so many 'what if's.

Sakuno didn't know what to think. But she was sure of one thing- she loved him. And she knew that even though the road ahead may be paved with much uncertainty, she was willing to take a risk. And that everything would be worth all her past hurts and fears.

She held him back at a distance and stared into his face- those smouldering gold eyes, hair that fell in tufts over them, and his soft, warm lips...

And Sakuno decided. She decided that he was worth everything.

end

A/N:

To my dear, lovely readers:

This is not the end. I shall continue on to write an epliogue when I have a good hair day. P

Thanks to all who read my stories and review. I love you all.

And more thanks to Kim and Eve who've managed to stand my crappiness. Go read their stories... they're much better writers than I am.

Oh yes, I am rewriting this whole thing because Kim says it sucks. Haha. No, I meant she said that it was a little to vague. I'll have to agree. Please tell me what you think and everything- if there's too much romance or too little, whether you think I suck or whatever. Hm. Yup. I think that's it.

I love you all,

dwi-san


	5. Epilogue: What's the bouquet for?

Epilogue

He stood at the altar and adjusted his collar for what seemed like the millionth time. He glanced at his watch, then proceeded to survey the guests that had arrived. There were about a hundred and fifty of them altogether, and boy did they make him feel nervous.

One would think that Echizen Ryoma never felt nervous. Even he himself didn't think so. But now, it felt like there was a huge tidal wave in his stomach trying to overtake his insides.

His golden eyes flashed. She was late.

He thought back to the many times that she herself had chastised him not to be late- for group meetings, projects and tennis practice. He supposed, checking his watch once more, that perhaps being on time for something had finally registered in his brain.

He smiled unconsciously.

Suddenly, music started playing. He was dumbfounded. He was confused. He wondered if there was a possibility that he could simply pause it for a moment just to reminisce about the past.

But there was no stopping the music.

As notes of the all too familiar tune began to flow, a woman stood at the end of the church in a long, flowing white gown. She had a white veil over her head, and had white roses in her hands. She was smiling.

Ryoma watched helplessly as she slowly walked down the aisle that was littered with flower petals and his stomach churned violently. Oh gods... he thought he was going to pass out.

His hands were sweating buckets, and he started to bring them up to adjust his collar once more when his mother and former high school coach both shot him piercing glares. His dropped his hands to his side and promptly cleared his throat twice.

The woman seemed much closer now, and he bit his lip. Gosh, she was so beautiful. He almost wanted to pull off her veil and yell at her, "What have you done to the little girl I used to know back in high school?"

But he liked her. Both ways, actually. He loved the fully grown version as well as the little kiddy one with pigtails.

Her hair was down in curls now and they reached her shoulders. Her earrings sparkled, as well as the diamond necklace that he'd gotten for her two years ago. Ryoma gulped and his knees shook. What was it about her that made him so nervous all of a sudden?

He wasn't ever quite sure.

She took her place next to him at the altar and took his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed hers back and stared ahead at the priest.

The priest went on for quite sometime, and Ryoma, having the short attention span of a goldfish, didn't really catch most of what he said. Which was why when the priest had asked him if he wanted to take the beautiful woman standing next to him as his lawfully wedded wife, he didn't answer immediately.

"Ryoma!" She hissed and stepped on his foot.

"OW!"

The whole roomful of guests were silent, except for a few snickers in the pews in front. Even the girl right next to him had to giggle.

The priest gave Ryoma a humored smile. "Mr Echizen Ryoma, I ask you once more. Would you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Would you love her, please her and honour her till death do you part?"

Ryoma nodded. "Uh... yeah. Umh... no wait! I mean, I do."

More snickering ensued. Ryoma groaned mentally. He shouldn't have invited his tennis buddies from high school. He took a short glance back, and caught sight of Momo laughing hysterically (silently, as well), before a petite woman next to him slapped him up with her purse and told him to shut up. He smiled in amusement.

"Then do you, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? Would you love him, please him, and honour him till death do you part?"

"I do."

The priest closed his book. "By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Ryoma mentally whooted. If there was one part of the ceremony he liked, it was kissing the bride. Even when they had rehersals (okay, he had to admit, he didn't know that you HAD to have rehersals for this kinda thing) and they practiced all the way through, they spent about half the time practicing the kissing part.

Sakuno smiled somewhat apprehensively. She knew what was going through her husband's head now.

They faced each other and he lifted her veil and both smiled at each other.

Momo got up and screamed, "GOOOOO RYOMA!"

Both turned to smile at him, while the woman next to him smacked him once more, and he sat down and rubbed the side of his face.

Ryoma looked at his bride with a mischevious glint in his eye. He scooped her up and planted a kiss on her cheek. Sakuno shrieked and slapped him lightly when he'd put her down.

"Oh you insufferable git!" She said, halfway smiling at him.

And with that, she kissed him lightly on the lips. The church full of people went wild.

He looked at her, grinning so widely. "I do believe we have an audience, dear."

She raised an eyebrow, grinning as well. "Where to, Mr Echizen?"

He picked her up. "To the ends of the earth, Mrs. Echizen."

She rolled her eyes as he scrambled out of the church carrying her and placed her in the passenger seat of his car. He took his own seat, then proceeded to drive off into the horizon. The guests screamed and waved at them, and Sakuno turned around and threw her bouquet of flowers to her guests. Girls shrieked and jumped to catch it, but it landed in the hands of a certain stoic looking buchou.

Tezuka stared at the bouquet of flowers and the proceeded to turn around. "What are these for?"

Fuji smiled at him. "Whoever catches it will get married soon, Tezuka."

"Hn."

-end-

----

Dear lovely Reader,

YES! IT IS FINISHED! HAHAHAHAHA.

Okay, yes. I'm sorry for abandoning you for so long, but I totally lost interest in fanfic. But it was a moral obligation to finish this, so I did. Please review and tell me what you thought, okay? PLEASE?

Perhaps I will start writing again. We'll see, won't we?

DidI mention to review? Ah, yes. Please do! I love reviewers. And... also, since it's Christmas, the best gift you can give me is a review! Tis the season to give, laddies! And I've already done my part (churning out this crummy chapter)... so now it's your turn.

Thank you in advance.

Lots of love,

dwilivia


	6. AUTHOR'S NOTE CONCERNING POSSIBLE SEQUEL

AUTHOR'S NOTE CONCERNING POSSIBLE SEQUEL

Dear Readers:

I was actually toying with the idea of writing a sequel to this. It will focus on Tezuka's lovelife, Eiji's relationship with his wife and Sacchi, and also Ryoma and Sakuno's life after marriage.

I actually have a plot written out in my head, but I really want to know what you all think and I also need suggestions. Also, I'm vying for readers. Good, solid readers that will follow me through.

Although I must admit, I'm having exams in about 2 months (and more in 4 months) so I probably will be slow in updating, but I write really fast and the chapters will be longer (and most definitely better) than the original.

So, anyone with me?

Love,  
dwilivia-san.


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